Breath of Fresh Air: A Step-by-Step Guide to Installing a Bathroom Exhaust Fan

In this video I remove an original exhaust fan from a 1960’s home in Cranford, New Jersey. Also included in this video is the installation of an insulated flexible vent to the exterior to prevent moisture buildup and possibly mold in the attic space. Do it right the first time!
Exhaust Fan by Panasonic Whisper Choice DC Pick-A-Flow 80/110 CFM Ceiling Bathroom Exhaust Fan with Flex-Z Fast Bracket.
Electrical Wiring is NOT a hobby. Call a licensed electrician!
Classic Electric, LLC | Point Pleasant, New Jersey
License & Business # 16557
(732)-770-1437
Ron Pecina Jr. is a licensed electrician in the state of New Jersey. This allows him to apply for electrical permits, work with live conductors, remove meters, and disconnect service from the utility company. New Jersey observes the 2020 NEC and the Uniform Construction Code. The majority of the work seen here on this channel falls under the Rehabilitation Sub Code (Chapter 6 of the U.C.C.).
ALL New Jersey licensed electricians MUST complete 34-hours of continuing education units each tricentennial period. This includes a mandatory 10-hour code update course. Any work above 10-volts requires an electrical license in New Jersey.
Ron is an active member of the New Jersey Independent Electrical Contractors Association.
Become an NJ-IEC member here: www.nj-iec.org
IEC National: www.ieci.org
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Classic Electric, LLC is a Generac standby air-cooled generator installer. Generac Dealer # 1019500
Ron Pecina Jr’s set up:
Camera: Go Pro 9/ 10 w/ the Media Mod
Microphone: DJI Wireless
Editing software: Apple iMovie
Animation software: Apple Keynote
Background Music & Sound Effects by Soundstripe.com
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[@mcarroll598]

I’ve been installing these Panasonic fans, for over 15 years now. Excellent product.

[@YaksAttack]

They're definitely my favorite to install too. They're pricey now, though!

[@keithcappell7584]

I have the Panasonic RG-R811A whisper remodel exhaust fan. Does the Panasonic RG-R811A bathroom exhaust fan have a moisture sensor to automatically place it in standby mode when no moisture is present? Also, which switch is recommended, a timer switch or a regular switch, and which make and model of switch for both? Thanks.

[@hmrody]

As a belt AND suspenders kind of guy, I am thinking I might put a duct type zip tie in addition to the foil tape, although I didn't see much of a lip on the vent. I overthink things 🙂. Great video as always...

[@MB-ir8xf]

Hello, Ron. Two things, 1- knee pads would have been a great help. 2- The vent kit you used-that does not sit flush with the siding, they sell a housing for situations like that one.

[@Skialta2024TX]

Perfect timing on this post. I'm about to do a remodel and I know the Panasonic's are supposed to be the best so this helps me decide!

[@electricalron]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dstu322]

Great video, i was looking for a good one that showed everything. The hardware chain vids show you just enough to get into trouble.

[@dh4923]

enjoyed watching the attic knee action.. i've been there

[@loupb9539]

Wouldn't be better to use a metal hooded vent on the side of the house? Those plastic flaps usually do not last, or get stuck open. Nice job - you earned your money on this job. -- a young man's profession !!

[@ronlovell5374]

Yup! Single flap door with hood in metal is all I use. My entire neighborhood built less than 10 years ago, almost every one of these on every home, most loovers are missing or completely gone, and whenever there's strong winds and rain we find pieces of them in our yards. In less than 5 years if you touch em at all they crumble to bits.

[@billhandymanbill2775]

Thanks Ron! Excellent video. I am surprised that the manufacturer of the fan didn’t give you two stainless steel “breeze” worm type clamps to hold, mechanical connections, the flexible vent line to vent pipe and to the fan unit itself. I understand the metal foil tape prevents air leakage between the parts. Great work! Bill

[@electricalron]

Good question!

[@kootenaysean]

"F**kin', that's mint if I say so myself". Quote of the week, hands down! I love your channel, Ron! 😂

[@electricalron]

Thanks bro. I try not curse to often. Must’ve missed that edit.

[@chrisdesimone4249]

Jersey in da house!!! Nice work! If you use a baby wipe on the ceiling, it will remove any fingerprints.

[@user-fc3mi1li2r]

EXACTLY (!!!), the video instructions I was looking for 👀🤔. SALUTE !!! Invest in knee pads. Caulking, as a preventative measure, for blowing rain; And, bugs 🪳🦟🪲🕷🐜🐛🐞.

[@michaelstaley9979]

Great video Ron. Be glad you had an attic that allowed you to remove the old fan. In my house I have 2 stories and the exhaust fan in the downstairs bathroom finally died. Had to use pry bar and linesman pliers to get that bad boy out.

[@electricalron]

I’ve done that before!

[@ronlovell5374]

Gotta love attic work! I like the panasonic fans, easy to install and super quiet. I do get a lot of calls however for maintenance, only to find them noisy and excessively dirty because installers forget to remove the little strip of blue appliance tape on the damper door. Not even sure why they need that for shipping? Needless to say I always do the tissue test.

[@scottdavis8188]

Great video I wish I could of seen more of the wiring aspect of the installation

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice job on replacing the bathroom fan Ron! Thank you for sharing the video with us!💖😎👍JP

[@rsla1212]

Thanks for all of the videos! I enjoy the panel replacements but I also really like the videos that show the day to day challenges that come up in service calls as well.. keep them coming (assuming your knees can withstand)! Thanks!

[@electricalron]

Glad you like them!

[@666miguel99]

​@@electricalron @15:11 how did you get that screw hole to lign up? If you butted the outlet part to the frame and the blower assembly is buttery up onto the drywall that screw should not have lights up for you... did you edit out some adjustments or modifications?

[@johnmazzocchi7116]

Hi Ron! I had the same problem That’s where the Milwaukee vibrating saw comes in handy. Like butter bro!

[@Bob.W.]

Thx Ron. I managed to step off a ladder one rung too high yesterday while installing two new fan boxes. Like a sack of potatoes. 😂. Shouldn't even be on a ladder at 71 and crippled. Just too stupid I guess.

[@electricalron]

I hope you’re ok.

[@Bob.W.]

@@electricalron up and taking nourishment, lol. Flat on my back for 2 days, icing and meds. Thanks.

[@fernandocollazos1980]

Greetings from Colombia. Thank you

[@user-ry5le4yu6x]

Well done brother ! Get some knee pads for that attic work , I had to break down and get some years ago definitely helps .

[@electricalron]

Thanks for the tip

[@rodolfovesga979]

Cool video Ron keep them coming back lol thank you for doing a great job!! I’m wowed lol!!!

[@boyd191]

Hi Ron, I have installed several of these fans and do like them, however, I've had the same problem with factory screws not going into old wood. Would be nice if they used square drive screws. Thanks for the video.

[@electricalron]

Yeah, you can see I used additional #10 panhead sheet metal screws to get the job done.

[@tommycho9068]

Very clean and professionally done. Thanks.

[@electricalron]

Thank you very much!

[@nope_not-showing-my-name]

Very nice unit and installation is smart. Two observations: 1. I am surprised you did not use a zip tie to secure the outer shell of the hose both on the vent inside the attic and the fan. 2. I'll never again use vent hood without a screen. Not sure about NJ birds, but the birds here in the south actually learned to open the flaps and go in to build nests. They are disgusting, dirty and bring diseases. A covered screen prevents that.

[@electricalron]

I did promise this customer I would do the bird cage thing so I have to go back and put that in.

[@ronlovell5374]

Thats a great tip! Just need a small square piece if hardware cloth behind the loovers or rolled up in the end of the pipe. I had a microwave hood fan on a property I managed maintenance on this previous year, grinded up a whole nest of baby birds in the impellers. The entire 15 ft run of duct was full of nest debris and bird poop. The mama bird was hanging around for days. Had to replace everything, What a mess!

[@eastcoastmodz5195]

Awesome job! In my building they clearly don't know how to install anything. The bathroom fan in one apartment (3rd floor) vents into the attic... AND in my place none of the outlets have a ground wire. Just black and white wires. Even the breaker box has just a standard 15 amp breaker...

[@randomrepair1680]

Nice job! My favourite channel now, you are humble and skilled. Thanks for the content

[@electricalron]

Thank you. My intent is to teach the audience about electrical work.

[@randomrepair1680]

@@electricalron you’re a good dude

[@trardo890]

gotta get some knee pads my man! i had a general contracter steer me on to the foam knee pads and i'll tell ya what, they work wonders! give it a shot sometime! Great content!

[@electricalron]

I have a ton of knee pads.

[@stevencole7331]

Brutal is a common word for attic work .

[@paulcarlsen4088]

Dualing ladder climbers. That fan is way more advanced than a cheap Nutone.

[@davehowell4111]

Wow. What a fantastic clean install.

[@electricalron]

Thanks!

[@chuckquinn8026]

Sweet job there Ron! Love that fan assembly! 👍👍

[@electricalron]

Thanks Chuck!

[@johnmazzocchi7116]

Panasonic makes great products! Must have been an old electrician In the design dept. I like the sliding bracket

[@electricalron]

Great fan and so quiet.

[@vince6829]

Nice job as always. Love your videos.

[@robertlivolsi5722]

great video ron, giving me all this knowledge

[@electricalron]

Glad to hear it

[@OtisPlunk]

Yeah, the older you get, the more difficult it is to climb around in attics. When I was 20-something it was fun. Not so much now.

[@zekenzy6486]

Great Video. Thank you for sharing

[@MyGuyKirby]

Noticed the 2-wires, how do you handle the lack of the grounding wire in newer code (not sure if the fans require that grounding wire). Looking at doing the same on similar aged home.

[@electricalron]

If the original wiring has no equipment grounding conductor (EGC) then I will suggest upgrading the wiring OR suggest installing a GFCI circuit breaker in lieu of the missing EGC.

[@elangomattab]

Nicely done, that looked much easier than I would have expected it to be. Having the power and vent on its own part was a really good idea from the manufacturer. Any idea if that is a common thing or not? I need to replace my 70s era bathroom fan (complete with heat lamp) one of these days.

[@talbertadams6586]

Still, best practice is to seal a thru wall hole, especially an outside wall with very little roof over hang.. Still, a good video.

[@progression_decibel]

NJ in the house! For this particular Panasonic fan, does it support being installed without attic access? We have three old bathroom fans to replace, one of which is in a powder room on the downstairs level. You also had a nicer time in that attic that I will - ours is built with trusses and blown cellulose! Not looking forward to bending like gumby up there.

[@electricalron]

When searching for Panasonic old work install look for the “Flexi-Fast” wording. That’s for replacement fans and they work great.

[@huckelben]

A question is plastic conduit expensive right now. Cant get into my attic to easily and was thinking of running plastic conduit to run a new feed to the garage

[@erikgutierrez6806]

Ron, I recommend using a zip tie to hold the duct in place. Then use the foil tape. Might seem like overkill but it helps in holding the flex in place.

[@geraldalfano5581]

Any thought of going through the roof with the exhaust duct to shorten the duct run? No day at the beach to go up on the roof of a two story on a hot day. It is bad enough in that hot attic. Good job and good video as always. Nice touch with the insulated duct.

[@electricalron]

I prefer not to go through the roof because of the liability of penetrating the roof. I have done the roof vent before though.

[@alanknight4418]

My question is does the Z mounting bracket bracket sit flush with edge of the drywall or just inside of it?

[@electricalron]

It sits on top of the Sheetrock.

[@alanknight4418]

@@electricalron I understand that part. But does the edge sit even with the sheet rock or to the inside edge?

[@arielfra7306]

Can you please recommend a remote switch and sensor for it?

[@electricalron]

I like to install the Lutron 60-Minute countdown timer switch. Works great!

[@torchup]

Why not use your 18v Milwaukee Recip saw and cut those old roof nails out flush to rafters and cut your drywall ceiling hole. I've likely installed 60-70 Panasonic Whisper Series fans in bath remodels over the years. They're the best and I recommend my customer buys the model they want and just have it on the jobsite. Never a complaint even though their models have progressed over the years with more far more silly functions like LED mood lighting and bluetooth. 😇

[@electricalron]

In my own bathroom I have the Lithonia Bluetooth speaker LED recessed lights.

[@nicholashubert2007]

Awesome install, but no caulking on the outside around the vent?

[@electricalron]

Silicone on top.

[@alparker8661]

You must have felt like you fell up and down a couple of flights of stairs that night and the next day after that attic adventure.

[@electricalron]

Doing what others don’t want to do is where I earn a living.

[@rb8049]

Took me a day to do this. How can you do it in 15min

[@electricalron]

Experience. This one took about 3 hours plus another 90 minutes getting materials and driving TJ the job.

[@djaliendenis]

I don't understand why you not wearing safety glasse

[@electricalron]

I don’t understand why you leave the same comment over and over.

[@Jesus_Strong]

@@cengebI never wear safety glasses unless I absolutely have to like cutting overhead plaster. And I been doing this 23yrs.

[@waymenlawrence2064]

Because he's a savage!

[@mynameisntbobcullington3614]

Read directions!? What is this voodoo of which you speak?